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The Huffington Post Media Group Launches HuffPost Miami

"We're delighted to launch HuffPost Miami," said Arianna Huffington. "Miami is one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the world - and, thanks to scores of movies and TV shows, one of the most recognizable. We'll bring you the stories and images that have long defined Miami in the popular imagination -- from the clatter of dominoes on Calle Ocho to the crack of the pelota at the Jai Alai fronton; from the skyscrapers of downtown to the kick-back vibe of Coconut Grove and the Deco hotels on South Beach. But we'll also dig deeper in an effort to tell the stories of all the people who make up this unique city - one that is a combustible blend of the old and the new, the glittery and the grimy, the transient and the entrenched."

HuffPost Miami covers all of Miami, from its multilingual cultures and politics to its diverse personalities and businesses. The site offers real-time news and views about the city, including its popular sports teams, growing restaurant scene, ceaseless real estate development and architectural restoration, and evolving role as the "capital of Latin America."

The site will cover local government and civic battles, including: the supercharged effort to introduce mega casinos to the area, the latest news from Havana of concern to Miami's large Cuban exile community, the city's efforts to cope with its real estate collapse, and the comings and goings of the city's dynamic arts scene -- from the annual frenzy around Art Basel Miami Beach to sustained efforts to create a year-round arts community that embraces dance, music, fine arts, and design.

HuffPost reporters are covering the city from multiple angles: Matt Sledge will report on Miami-Dade County's financing arrangement with the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat. He'll also examine what the Occupy movement can learn from the city's Take Back the Land organization's unconventional anti-foreclosure tactics, and explore the publicly-funded purchase of a much-derided sculpture to be prominently located at the Miami Marlins' new (and controversial) ballpark. Christina Costantini will look at how the Spanish language has so thoroughly transformed the city; and Ray Sanchez will be writing about the changing political voice and demographics of the Cuban exile community.

Bloggers who will be featured on the site include: Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade; University of Florida wildlife ecologist Dr. Frank J. Mazzotti; marketing and PR guru Tara Solomon; NBC Miami Nitecap host Peter Bailey; Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez; City of Miami Beach Commissioner Jerry Libbin; University of Miami Medical Ethicist Dr. Kenneth Goodman; Knight Foundation Vice President of Arts Dennis Scholl; "smart growth" blogger Tony Garcia; Miami Museum of Contemporary Art Director Bonnie Clearwater; activist Vanessa Brito; and more.

In addition, residents of the city's neighborhoods -- from upscale Coral Gables to working class Hialeah -- will have a platform to voice their points of view, interests and concerns.

Janie Campbell, editor of HuffPost Miami, is a Florida native who was previously deputy web editor at NBC Miami. She has also served as an editor at The Feast and SB Nation, and has written for NBC Local Media and several sports blogs. She graduated from Samford University, and before launching a career in journalism worked as a financial analyst at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Amanda McCorquodale, Associate Editor of HuffPost Miami, was previously the founding editor of Miami New Times' arts and culture blog, "Cultist," and calendar editor. She has an M.A. in Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Literature from Florida State University. She has contributed to Readymade magazine, Miami magazine, Gourmet, Seattle magazine, and others.

About the Huffington Post Media Group:

The Huffington Post is part of AOL's Huffington Post Media Group ("HPMG"), a leading source of news, opinion, entertainment, community and digital information comprised of a diverse network of destination websites, including The Huffington Post, Moviefone, Engadget, TechCrunch, Patch, Stylelist, and MapQuest. HPMG's sites combine journalism, technology, engagement, and video to reach a global audience on every platform. HPMG has over 20,000 bloggers -- from politicians and celebrities to academics and policy experts -- who contribute in real-time on a wide-range of topics making news today. Among them are Nora Ephron, Larry Page, Bill Maher, Robert Redford, Madonna, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, Russell Simmons, Bill Gates, and Charlie Rose. The Huffington Post has 35 million unique visitors a month, per comScore (October, 2011), and has an engaged community that posts over 5 million comments a month. The Huffington Post UK and The Huffington Post Canada both launched this year, and Le Huffington Post France and Le Huffington Post Quebec, are launching soon.

About AOL:

Having helped millions of Americans to get online, AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is on a mission to inform, entertain and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.

AOL
Mario Ruiz
VP, Communications
212-402-7126
mario@huffingtonpost.com